Express Flat Allocation Scheme
Express Flat Allocation Scheme (EFAS) (2011) – Updates
| 1. |
Application for the ‘Second Round Flat Selection Exercise’ was closed on 18.1.2012. Flat selection procedures will be commenced in late February 2012. Housing Department will invite applicants who opted to join the ‘Second Round Flat Selection’ to turn up for selection in accordance with the sequence of the respective priority number in this phase. (The priority may be changed due to change of family size or application type, etc.) |
| 2. |
Kindly note that number of flats available for selection are limited and unevenly distributed in respect of area and location. It is possible that some flats on particular districts, flat types, or even all the flats will be exhausted upon selection by applicants with earlier priorities during the flat selection period. Therefore, the Housing Department cannot guarantee that each applicant will have a chance to be invited for flat selection or be able to select a flat successfully. |
EFAS Applicants may follow the procedures below to enquire about their application status:
| 1. |
Click the "e-Services" banner on this page, you will be directed to the "e-Services" portal; |
| 2. | In the second section named "e-Services for Applicants", there is a hyperlink "Enquire Application Status". Clicking on this hyperlink will lead you to the "Applicant Login" page. |
| 3. | To enquire about your EFAS application, you must have a registered e-Services account. If you have not registered before, please click the hyperlink "Registration" to register for an e-Services account. You may then use your e-Services account to login. If you have registered before, you may login by inputting either your Application Number or your Alias, if applicable; and your password. |
| 4. | After logging in to e-Services, there is a hyperlink "Enquire Application Status". Clicking on this hyperlink will lead you to the "Enquire Application Status" page. |
| 5. |
If you have joined the current EFAS exercise, you can enquire about your application status by clicking the second tab, "Current EFAS Application Details". During the flat selection period, applicants holding a valid EFAS application can enquire about the list of remaining flats available for selection. |
Highlights of the Express Flat Allocation Scheme (EFAS)
| 1. | In the process of public rental housing (PRH) allocation, Waiting List (WL) applications are strictly processed in accordance with the priority of the applications on the WL and the applicants' choice of district; or based on the points scored for non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System (QPS), depending on the nature of the WL applications. However, under the EFAS, holders of valid WL applications who fulfill the eligibility criteria of the scheme may have an earlier chance to be allocated PRH units. |
| 2. | The EFAS is launched subject to available housing resources, allowing eligible applicants to select from availalbe flats. According to the prevailing PRH application policies, applicants normally cannot request for allocation of a flat outside their selected district / or in a specific sub-district or a particular estate. There is, however, no locality restriction for EFAS applicants. They can choose flats in any sub-districts from the list of available flats. However, applicants can only select a flat in accordance with the allocation standard and with reference to the number of family members on their WL application as shown in our computerised record. |
| 3. | The flats offered for selection include vacant rental units in PRH estates in various districts. Some are considered to be desirable in terms of surroundings, transportation network, community service, shopping and medical facilities, etc. Some may have involved unpleasant incidents, while the floor level, orientation or internal layout of some other units may be less desirable. For example, Po Tin Estate and Tin Yan Estate (Phase 1) in the New Territories have toilets smaller than those in other PRH units. |
| 4. | Rent Reduction Period: Tenants taking up a PRH flat with a valid vacancy period of 12 months or more but below 24 months will be granted a rent-free (inclusive of rent) period of 4 months in the form of reduced rent at 50% for 8 months. For flats with a valid vacancy period of 24 months or above, a rent-free (inclusive of rent) period of 6 months in the form of reduced rent at 50% for 12 months will be offered. Upon selecting a flat, applicants are required to sign an undertaking to acknowledge that they cannot request for transfer within three years from the date of commencement of the tenancy agreement in respect of the selected flat (including transfer under the Living Space Improvement Transfer Scheme). We may however exercise discretion for special cases recommended by relevant departments / organisations, or in case the transfer is demanded by the Housing Department (HD), or on the grounds of overcrowding relief. |
| 5. | Having accepted a flat through the EFAS, the applicant and his / her family members cannot request for any transfer within three years from the commencement date of the tenancy agreement (including transfer under the Living Space Improvement Transfer Scheme). We may however exercise discretion for special cases recommended by relevant departments / organisations, or in case the transfers is demanded by the HD, or on the grounds of overcrowding relief. |
| 6. | For those applicants who obtain a PRH unit through the EFAS, if they apply for the purchase of a Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flat within three years from intake of their PRH unit, they will be treated as if they were White Form (WF) applicants in the flat selection order and will be put under the WF queue. Upon purchase of an HOS flat, this category of Green Form (GF) applicants, similar to other GF applicants, will have to surrender their PRH units to the HA. |
| 7. | For applicants (including their family members) whose PRH tenancy has been terminated resulting in a two-year debarment restriction in General WL application, they are not eligible to join this Scheme within the two-year debarment period (except with special approval). For those with their debarment imposed after the application closing date, their EFAS application will also be cancelled accordingly. (PRH includes Interim Housing) |
| 8. | For applicants who have been evicted from PRH due to unsettled rent-in-arrears and are blacklisted, if they fail to settle the outstanding debts, they or any of their adult family members are not allowed to participate in flat selection procedures unless all rent arrears and debts incurred have been settled before their scheduled flat selection date. If they fail to do so, then EFAS application will be cancelled. (PRH includes Interim Housing) |
| 9. | If an applicant refuses the housing offer after completing the flat selection procedures and being issued with an offer letter, or fails to turn up for completing intake formalities at the concerned Estate Office, his / her WL application will be recorded with one "Unreasonable Refusal". According to the prevailing policy, if an applicant rejects all of the three housing offers without giving "acceptable reasons", his / her application will be cancelled. This also applies to applicants selecting flats in Po Tin Estate and Tin Yan (Phase 1). It will not be counted as an "Unreasonable Refusal", if the applicant has informed us of his / her withdrawal before we issue the offer letter. For details, please refer to the Information for Applicants of Waiting List for Public Rental Housing. |
| 10. | Applicants who have not taken part in the flat selection, or have not selected a flat during the flat selection, will not be accorded with one count of "Unreasonable Refusal". It will not affect their PRH application which will continue with the normal course of processing in accordance with the prevailing WL policies and procedures provided that the application is still valid. |
| 11. | If a WL application has been verified as eligible for PRH and the application is ready for allocation (except for frozen cases), joining this scheme will not affect the applicant's chance of being allocated a flat under the normal queue. It is thus possible that an offer letter (including the final offer) will be issued under his / her normal WL application, inviting him / her to complete the intake formalities. In that case, the applicant has to decide whether to accept the offer or not. If he / she accepts the offer and completes all the intake formalities, his / her EFAS application will be cancelled. If the applicant refuses the offer, his / her EFAS application will not be affected provided that he / she still holds valid housing offer(s) upon that refusal. |
For enquiry, please call the Housing Authority Hotline 2712 2712.
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